Denver Art Museum, Extensions and Residences

The Frederic C. Hamilton Building, is an expansion and addition to the existing museum, designed by the Italian Architect Gio Ponti. The 146,000-square-foot extension, which opened in October 2006, currently houses the Modern and Contemporary art collections as well as the collections of Oceanic and African Art. The Hamilton Building`s design recalls the peaks of the Rocky Mountains and geometric rock crystals found in the foothills near Denver. The materials of the building closely relate to the existing context as well as introducing innovative new materials, such as the 9,000 titanium panels which cover the building`s surface and reflect the brilliant Colorado sunlight. The project is designed as part of a composition of public spaces, monuments and gateways in this developing part of the city, tying together downtown, the Civic Center, and forming a strong connection to the golden triangle neighborhood.

The Museum Residences is a 127,000 square-foot residential and retail building named for its adjacency to the Denver Art Museum extension also designed by Studio Daniel Libeskind The translucent glass skin combined with the metal-clad geometric forms complement the titanium-clad Museum. The top 6 floors of the 7 story building are residential and house 56 luxury units which ranging in size from 800–5,000 square feet and includes a 1000 car public parking garage. The ground floor provides 16,000 square feet of dedicated retail space which flanks the Acoma Plaza of the Arts.

The Denver Art Museum, a collaborative effort between Machado Silvetti and Fentress Architects, is an architectural endeavor that rejuvenated the museum’s premises. The initiative encompassed the refurbishment of the renowned Lanny and Sharon Martin Building, an original creation of Italian architect Gio Ponti, and the erection of the new Anna and John J. Sie Welcome Center. The design approach was rooted in the site’s intrinsic attributes and the interplay between the new edifice and the pre-existing structures. The project also took into account the building’s adjacency to Denver’s Civic Center, thereby addressing a broader issue. A notable element of the project is the elliptical Sie Welcome Center, distinguished by its singular facade, constituted of a sequence of curved structural glass panels with insulated glazing. This oval glazed construct greets visitors and provides a seamless link to all facets of the museum campus.The project further entailed the conversion of currently indistinct or residual spaces into terraces, gardens, cloisters, and compact seating areas. A number of existing buildings along the route underwent remodeling, and new structures were proposed. In spite of the project’s intricacy, it was brought to successful completion and has been the recipient of multiple accolades, including the American Architecture Award from The Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture and Design.